Bog Turtles and Tussocks

By Derek Shiels
January 8, 2016

Bog Turtles can be found in the eastern U.S. from Georgia to
New York, not that one is easy to find. Surveys by trained biologists often
come up empty. It has become a very rare species with population declines
estimated around 90% over the last century. Still, the first observation of a
Bog Turtle on iNaturalist.org was by someone who found it in the mouth of a dog - and he rescued it! (see his photo below).

Like many federally-listed species,
these turtles are well studied and yet the need to conduct surveys for them
remains critical to their conservation. Population monitoring and new
occurrence records would be two reasons for initiating surveys. Thus, private landowners can play a major
role by either regularly monitoring their property or hiring a biologist to
conduct a survey. Important note!—Bog Turtles have declined in part due to illegal
collecting for the black market pet trade. Be wary of these unlawful
collectors. The loss of even one or two individuals from a population could
lead that local population to extinction.

The major reason for their decline is loss of habitat. They
favor wetland habitats that are not very stable (ephemeral), meaning they like
wetlands that tend to fill in with shrubs and trees naturally. Historically,
when one wetland filled in they could move to another early successional wetland habitat, now...well that is history, and fragmentation and fewer wetlands
is present reality. Picture a beaver dam flooding, a large one, all those wet
areas away from the main water channel would make good Bog Turtle habitat. They
require the open canopy conditions for their thermoregulation, reproduction,
and feeding needs (habitat photo from USFWS).

Another way that private landowners can be vital to
conserving Bog Turtles is through active habitat restoration or protection!
Invasive plant infestations are a major threat to their habitat as they speed
up the natural succession process and eliminate plant species critical to the
turtle’s lifestyle, such as sedges that grow up in mounds or “tussocks” where
they like to lay their eggs. If your
property contains open marsh areas and/or a small weedy seep or stream it may be
providing Bog Turtle habitat. For those of us who don’t live in the Bog Turtle
range (see map from Recovery Plan, see citation below), maintaining these
ephemeral communities will provide habitat for other unique creatures.

Maintaining open or scattered shrubby areas will require
active management. Those invasive species will need to be managed by detecting them as they arrive and with treatment,
usually using herbicides. Other active
management tools include grazing animals with careful planning as to allow just
enough grazing to keep succession at bay. Controlled burning and tree girdling
are other tools that can be effective but require careful planning and expertise.
Contact a biological consultant to help with these technical tasks.

There are some actions that you could take on your own. They
may or may not be easy, depending on your neighbors. Looking beyond your
property and considering the larger landscape, is your habitat part of a larger
continuous habitat system? Maybe the wetland doesn’t continue, but is there
adjoining natural cover that would allow a turtle a safe passage through? Could
you talk with your neighbors to coordinate protection efforts, encouraging them
to plan any development of their land in a manner that preserves natural
corridors? Maybe you could join with other
neighbors in contacting the Fish and Wildlife Service to ask for assistance
with the cost of restoring degraded habitat? Or are excessive nutrients (fertilized
lawn) or sediments (from some nearby erosion) washing into the wetland? If so,
these would speed up natural selection and the end your tussock filled, wetland.